John Hannah takes on the role of ex-detective Dennis Govan, but who is the actor behind his brilliant sidekick, Rosa?20:06, 30 Jul 2026Benidorm is Murder is Channel 5's latest offering and is expected to be a hit among murder mystery fans.‌The new detective drama comes from Death in Paradise writer Ian Jarvis and will see A Touch of Cloth's John Hannah take on the lead role as burnt-out ex-detective Dennis Govan, who is hiding behind a failing Scottish pub in Benidorm when he bumps into aspiring actress Rosa.‌Rosa is obsessed with classic British crime shows, and manages to talk her way into Dennis' bar, his investigations, and his life. Before they know it the pair are solving crimes together in the holiday hotspot.‌But who is the actress behind Dennis' self-appointed sidekick? Here's everything you need to know.Who plays Rosa in Benidorm is Murder?Carolina Bécquer plays Rosa. Viewers first meet her in episode one when she enters washed-up ex-police officer Dennis' pub, called The Tavern. Rosa is a hyperactive aspiring actress who talks herself into a job at his pub, and then into his life, as his self-appointed sidekick.‌Speaking about casting Carolina as Rosa, the other half of the unofficial crime-solving duo, writer and creator Ian Jarvis, said: "Rosa is the catalyst to everything. Dennis just wants to sit and watch sport in his own pub and drink beer all day for the rest of his life. She lights a fire under him and gets him out.She’s this brilliant ball of energy and Carolina is not dissimilar to Rosa in many ways. We just feel lucky to have got her before she’s a superstar."It’s great having a Spanish character at the heart of the series because they give an alternative point of view on the British and all our idiosyncrasies and the weird idioms we use. On a practical level it is great that Rosa speaks Spanish because us Brits are not very good at learning the language."‌He added: "Dennis and Rosa’s relationship is the heart of the show. You can only write it so much and then you just hope you can find two actors who have that kind of chemistry and can do the rest."Carolina and John light up the screen. They are very much like they are on-camera when they are off-camera. I think my favourite thing about being on set and making this show has been seeing the chemistry between those two."‌Who is Carolina Bécquer?Carolina Bécquer is a bilingual actress with international training and experience in film, TV, and theatre. Benidorm is Murder is her first big television role, although she did appear in the film 8 Years in 2022.Speaking about her first day on set, Carolina said: "Oh gosh, I was very nervous. I had one scene with John. I was particularly nervous because I had to say this funny line, which fortunately we had rehearsed. It was, ‘Drink up you tart, you’re nicked!’ Director Simon Delaney said, ‘I’m going to need that to be much more dramatic and very British.’ John was so kind. He recorded himself saying the line and then I spent the entire weekend trying to copy his accent. I was nervous to say it in front of the entire crew but once I’d got it out a few times I was able to calm down and enjoy the day."‌Speaking about when she got the acting bug, Carolina shared: "Since I was very young, I was always putting on shows for my family. I think they have some tapes of me as a kid putting on plays and driving everyone crazy with my singing and dancing. They took me to drama class when I was six years old. I loved it."I don’t remember a specific moment when I said, ‘I want to be an actress.’ I think it came very naturally to me. I really enjoyed going to drama classes and when I realised that that was an option as a profession, I knew that that was my thing. I do remember going with my family to see The Sound of Music and I loved seeing those kids on stage performing and dancing. I just wanted to be up there with them."‌And on what appealed to her about the role of Rosa, Carolina said: "Honestly, I felt an immediate connection to her when I read the first episode. Usually when you get a character you must do some background work to understand them and see who they are but with Rosa I immediately knew who she was. That had never happened before. It was very instinctive. She wants to be an actress, but I really connected with how she comes alive when she’s doing what she loves. Her passion. Her determination. It was very special."John Hannah also spoke about working with Carolina. He said: "We clicked immediately as people. It was like we’d known each other forever. I said to Simon [director] that I thought this show would stand or fall on the Rosa character."It’s a very, very difficult part to be that light and fluffy, but also to be serious and believable, and to do so much dialogue in a foreign language. I can barely do it in English. Ian and the production team were very bold in writing such a complex character and hoping that they would find somebody that could do it. Carolina is such a find and such a lovely human being."Article continues belowBenidorm is Murder starts on Channel 5 on Thursday, July 30 at 9pm.